• In Collaboration with the Central Bank of Bahrain

Dubai, UAE: Listed companies from across the entire Middle East and industry professionals who have demonstrated outstanding performance in Investor Relations (IR) over the past year were celebrated at the 15th Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) Awards Ceremony, hosted yesterday by Bahrain Bourse and in collaboration with the Central Bank of Bahrain, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama, Bahrain.

The MEIRA Awards Ceremony is a prominent event in the region, where excellence in investor communication and engagement is recognised and celebrated. The different categories reflect companies' dedication to transparency, effective communication, and overall, IR best practice.

Essentially, these awards are a testament to the value these practices play in building strong and lasting trust between companies and their shareholders.

The ceremony followed the 2023 MEIRA Annual Conference, the largest event in the region dedicated to IR. The Awards Ceremony was the perfect finale for a day full of insightful IR discussions and networking opportunities. The Awards Ceremony was attended by more than 120 delegates including industry professionals, regulators, stock exchange representatives, and members of MEIRA. The event recognized the achievements across two major categories, including top-notch IR teams awarded with the IR Best Practice Awards, in collaboration with Institutional Investor, and Best IR Reporting, which recognises the best annual reports in the Middle East.

Since 2019 the best IR Reporting has been selected through a judging process carried out by a panel of judges consisting of MEIRA representatives in collaboration with experts in the field.

The process of identifying winners in the Best Practice category was based on the Institutional Investor EMEA Survey, an initiative run on an annual basis that collects independent feedback from the buy- and sell-side.

In his remarks on the awards, MEIRA Chair Andrew Tarbuck expressed, "We extend our warmest congratulations to the winners and eagerly anticipate continuing our support for all MEIRA members and IR professionals in their efforts to raise the bar and foster the growth of the Middle East's capital markets. The MEIRA IR Awards are an excellent initiative not only to recognise the best examples of IR practices in the Middle East but also to keep paving the way to position the regional capital markets as a trusted investment destination in the world. Winners and shortlisted companies are the best examples of what this region has to offer and examples for new market comers on how to effectively implement IR best practices. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Bahrain Bourse for hosting the conference, which was held in collaboration with the Central Bank of Bahrain”.

Winners of the 2023 MEIRA awards are:

Best Practice Categories:

  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations Middle East: AlRajhi Bank 
  • Best Investor Relations by CEO - Middle East: Waleed Al Mogbel - AlRajhi Bank 
  • Best Investor Relations by CFO - Middle East: Abdulrahman Al Fadda - AlRajhi Bank 
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - Bahrain: Aluminium Bahrain (Alba)  
  • Best Investor Relations Professional - Bahrain: Eline Hilal - Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) 
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - Egypt: CIB 
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - Kuwait: National Bank of Kuwait
  • Best Investor Relations Professional - Kuwait: Amir Hanna - National Bank of Kuwait
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - Oman: AlMaha
  • Best Investor Relations Professional - Oman: Bushra Salman Malik Al Balushi, Omantel
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - Qatar: Oreedoo
  • Best Investor Relations Professional - Qatar: Andreas Goldau - Oreedoo
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - Saudi Arabia: AlRajhi Bank
  • Best Investor Relations Professional - Saudi Arabia: Ryan Alshuaibi - AlRajhi Bank
  • Leading Corporate for Investor Relations - United Arab Emirates: First Abu Dhabi Bank
  • Best Investor Relations Professional - United Arab Emirates: Sofia El Boury, First Abu Dhabi Bank
  • Most Improved IR Program- GCC: National Bank of Kuwait

IR Reporting Categories:

  • Best IR Reporting - Print Category - Large-Cap - Middle East
    • First place: Almarai
    • Second place: Riyad Bank
    • Second place: Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB)
    • Third place: e&
  • Best IR Reporting - Print Category - Mid-Cap - Middle East
    • First place: Aramex
    • Second place: Mobily
    • Third place: Nahdi
    • Third place: Bahri
  • Best IR Reporting - Print Category - Small-Cap - Middle East
    • First place: Tanmiah
    • Second place: Baladna 
    • Third place: Boursa Kuwait
  • Best IR Reporting - Digital Category - Large-Cap - Middle East
    • First place: e&
    • Second place: First Abu Dhabi Bank
    • Third place: Riyad Bank
  • Best IR Reporting - Digital Category - Mid-Cap - Middle East
    • First place: Mobily
    • Second place: STC Kuwait
    • Third place: solutions by STC
  • Best IR Reporting - Digital Category - Small-Cap - Middle East
    • First place: Baladna
    • Second place: MEPCO
    • Third place: Tanmiah Food Company
    • Third place: Saudi Re

About the Middle East Investor Relations Association

The Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA or ‘the Association’) is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the Investor Relations (IR) profession and international standards in corporate governance. The mission of MEIRA is to enhance the reputation, efficiency and attractiveness of the Middle East capital markets.

This is delivered by fostering increased dialogue among members and encouraging the IR community to share the global benchmark in best practice within the field of IR. In partnership with stock exchanges, regulators and other market participants, MEIRA supports companies through its professional development and certification programmes as well as its membership community and network  of country Chapters.